Strengthening the Child Welfare System:
Child Advocates Joins University of
Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic
Opportunities (LEO) for a
groundbreaking study
Evidence-based research on robust legal
representation for children and youth could help
increase positive life outcomes
**No identifiable case information will be released to researchers**
Strengthening the Child
Welfare System:
Child Advocates Joins University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) for a
groundbreaking study
Evidence-based research on robust legal representation for children and youth could help increase positive life outcomes
**No identifiable case information will be released to researchers**
As you know, child welfare cases are a crossroads of complicated family issues. As you seek to make the best decision possible for each child,
you gather comprehensive information to make an informed
decision and gain a deep understanding of every piece of the puzzle.
During your decision-making process,
these thoughts may enter your mind:
Was I given the best information regarding the child's needs?
Are there alternative ways to best serve this child?
As you know, child welfare cases are a crossroads of complicated family issues. As you seek to make the best decision possible for each child, you gather comprehensive information to make an informed decision and gain a deep understanding of every piece of the puzzle.
During your decision-making process, these thoughts may enter your mind:
Was I given the best information regarding the child's needs?
Are there alternative ways to best serve this child?
Your role as a Juvenile Court Judge will remain one within a complex landscape, but there is a way to be part of a collaborative effort between attorneys, researchers, and judges to best serve youth in the child welfare system. As part of this project, you will have a clear and comprehensive
understanding of a youth’s legal position and needs.
Your role as a Juvenile Court Judge will remain one within a complex landscape, but there is a way to be part of a collaborative effort between attorneys, researchers, and judges to best serve youth in the child welfare system. As part of this project, you will have a clear and comprehensive understanding of a youth’s legal position and needs.
Here’s where the Notre Dame Research team
and Child Advocates attorneys come in.
Child Advocates is committed to providing legal representation to youth involved in the child welfare system. Child Advocates is committed to working in collaboration with Notre Dame LEO researchers to conduct the first-ever randomized control study in the nation evaluating outcomes in child welfare cases where children are represented by attorneys versus child welfare cases where children are not represented by attorneys.
Our research will help answer these questions:
Can robust legal representation for youth in the child welfare system help shape positive life outcomes, decrease poverty, and change their future?
And if so, how could that assist you, as a judge, as you carry the weight of decisions that can have a lifetime impact on a child?
Here’s where the Notre Dame Research team and Child Advocates attorneys come in.
Child Advocates is committed to providing legal representation to youth involved in the child welfare system. Child Advocates is committed to working in collaboration with Notre Dame LEO researchers to conduct the first-ever randomized control study in the nation evaluating outcomes in child welfare cases where children are represented by attorneys versus child welfare cases where children are not represented by attorneys.
Our research will help answer these questions:
Can robust legal representation for youth in the child welfare system help shape positive life outcomes, decrease poverty, and change their future?
And if so, how could that assist you, as a judge, as you carry the weight of decisions that can have a lifetime impact on a child?
This is an opportunity to make a consequential difference in a child’s
life. You will work with stakeholders seeking to improve the child welfare system, determine best practices, explore how attorneys for youth can impact equitable outcomes, and use research to inform decision-making.
"Robust legal representation for youth in the child welfare system can help shape positive life outcomes, decrease poverty, and change their future."
-Judge Mark Jones, retired Marion County Juvenile Court Judge
This is an opportunity to make a consequential difference in a child’s life. You will work with stakeholders seeking to improve the child welfare system, determine best practices, explore how attorneys for youth can impact equitable outcomes, and use research to inform decision-making.
"Robust legal representation for youth in the child welfare system can help shape positive life outcomes, decrease poverty, and change their future." -Judge Mark Jones, retired Marion County Juvenile Court Judge
How this works
Child Advocates will receive cause numbers that meet the criteria for the study prior to the initial hearing.
Child Advocates will randomize the cause numbers between two groups and inform the court which youth should be appointed an attorney.
After consulting with the youth and signing a retainer, an attorney from Child Advocates will file an appearance and represent the youth in their child welfare case.
Benefits of this research:
How it Will Help You
Child Advocates' trained and experienced attorneys inform youth about their rights, ensure that necessary information is collected and prepared for hearings and team meetings, including what the youth desires, and present solutions.
Commitment to Research and Data for System Improvement
Collaborative
Approach
Free Legal Representation by Trained Attorneys Present, In-Person with Clients
By participating in this study, you will be an integral part of an unprecedented research initiative. The data collected and insights derived will be instrumental in shaping policies and refining practices intended to improve outcomes for children in the system and mitigate the impacts of poverty.
Every party has a unique perspective and role. We work alongside all stakeholders in the case and have a collaborative approach.
Our advocacy helps youths understand their rights, allowing them to be fully
informed and actively
participate in their case. This not only empowers the child
but also ensures their
expressed interests are accurately represented to the court, revealing new insights, providing alternative solutions,
and highlighting unique circumstances that may otherwise be omitted. This could help expedite
permanency plans and ensure the child's needs are met sooner.
Help us build a better future for our youth.
To discuss how to participate in this data-driven project with Child Advocates and the LEO Research Team today, click the button below.
Every decision you make holds the power to
shape a child's future
Child Advocates and Notre Dame’s LEO project is committed to research on child representation to ensure our child welfare system is working at the highest level for each family. As part of this study, you are embracing a future where we have data to show how to best serve children in the system. It could help them have better life outcomes, free of the burden of poverty, with opportunities every child deserves
Together, we can make a profound difference, ensuring justice is not only served but also seen through the eyes of those it impacts the most – the children.
How this works
Child Advocates will receive cause numbers that meet the criteria for the study prior to the initial hearing.
Child Advocates will randomize the cause numbers between two groups and inform the court which youth should be appointed an attorney.
After consulting with the youth and signing a retainer, an attorney from Child Advocates will file an appearance and represent the youth in their child welfare case.
Benefits of this research:
How it Will Help You
Child Advocates' trained and experienced attorneys inform youth about their rights, ensure that necessary information is collected and prepared for hearings and team meetings, including what the youth desires, and present solutions.
Commitment to Research and Data for System Improvement
By participating in this study, you will be an integral part of an unprecedented research initiative. The data collected and insights derived will be instrumental in shaping policies and refining practices intended to improve outcomes for children in the system and mitigate the impacts of poverty.
Collaborative
Approach
Every party has a unique perspective and role.
We work alongside all stakeholders in the case and have a collaborative approach.
Free Legal Representation by Trained Attorneys Present, In-Person with Clients
Our advocacy helps youths understand their rights, allowing them to be fully informed and actively
participate in their case. This not only empowers the child but also ensures their expressed interests are accurately represented to the court, revealing new insights, providing alternative solutions, and highlighting unique circumstances that may otherwise be omitted. This could help expedite
permanency plans and ensure the child's
needs are met sooner.
Help us build a better future for our youth.
To discuss how to participate in this data-driven project with Child Advocates and the LEO Research Team today, click the button below.
Every decision you make holds the power to shape a child's future
Child Advocates and Notre Dame’s LEO project is committed to research on child representation to ensure our child welfare system is working at the
highest level for each family. As part of this study, you are embracing a future where we have data to show how to best serve children in the system. It could help them have better life outcomes, free of the burden of poverty, with opportunities every child deserves
Together, we can make a profound difference, ensuring justice is not only served but also seen through the eyes of those it impacts the most – the children.
Benefits of this research:
Commitment to Research and Data for System Improvement By participating in this study, you will be an integral part of an unprecedented research initiative. The data collected and insights derived will be instrumental in shaping policies and refining practices to improve outcomes for children in the system and mitigate the impacts of poverty
FAQs
If I participate in this study, does
that guarantee every child an
attorney?
Youth who are twelve and older at the time of the initial hearing will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the group who receives attorneys, or the control group who does not. You have the option at any time to appoint an attorney to youth in the control group from outside of the study.
Do I have to find the attorneys?
No. Notre Dame LEO has selected Child Advocates to partner in this study and provide the necessary attorneys. Child Advocates will provide those attorneys at no cost to your court. These attorneys will travel to
your court for in-person hearings. Child Advocates has invested in training for its attorneys through the National Association of Counsel for Children.
Who will keep the data?
The LEO research team will work
with Child Advocates attorneys
and other stakeholders to collect
and report on data derived from
this study. The study will be approved by the Notre Dame Institutional Review Board and is in compliance with Indiana Code 31-39-2-11.
How long does this research
study last?
The study begins in November of
2023. It is estimated to last for
three years.
There will be a paper written by the Notre Dame LEO research team. In addition to no child being identifiable in the study, no Judge or County will be identified without their consent.
If I participate in this study, does that guarantee every child an attorney?
When you participate in this study, most youth aged 12 and older will participate in the study. The youth
will be randomly assigned by the LEO research team to treatment or control.
Do I have to find the attorneys?
No. Child Advocates will provide those attorneys at no cost to your court. These attorneys will travel to
your court for in-person hearings.
Who will keep the data?
The LEO research team will work with Child Advocates attorneys and other stakeholders to collect and report on data derived from
this study
How long does this research study last?
The study begins in November of 2023. It is estimated to last for three years
Help us build a better future for our
youth. Participate in this data-driven
project with Child Advocates and
the LEO Research Team today.